Habitat Restoration

Our restoration initiatives include removing barriers to fish migration, creating wetland habitats for birds, plants, and invertebrates and "rewiggling" rivers to restore the natural form and function of straightened, dredged, or embanked sections.

For most lowland English rivers, their physical integrity has been compromised, often significantly, by past historic management practices and interventions for the purposes of land drainage, flood defence, milling, navigation, water supply, and amenity. The unintended consequence of much of this historic modification of our rivers has been a considerable impoverishment of the ecological quality of our watercourses and associated floodplain. While the River Thame has not escaped these impacts, it is fortunate in that much of its meandering course has been preserved and its connection to its predominantly undeveloped floodplain has been maintained along many sections.

Ensuring the preservation of the river's relatively unimpacted sections and the restoration of areas that have suffered loss of quality habitat are key priorities for the River Thame Conservation Trust.